Self-propelled electric iron



June 27, 1939. H; RossEN 2,154,085

SELF-'PHOPELLED ELECTRIC IRON 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 24, 19:56

M 57 49 ga/w@ H15 HrToR/wsns,

.hme 27, 1939. H, RQSSEN 2,164,085

SELF-'PROPELLED ELECTRIC IRON Filed Aug. 24, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2/Nvewram M5 Hrranmens June 27, 1939. H RQSSEN `2,164,085

SELF-PROPELLED ELECTRIC IRON Filed Aug.- 24, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 5.fl/.s Arr-o Mers' June 2,7, 1939. H. RossEN SELFPROPELLED ELECTRIC IRONFiled Aug. 24, 1936 4 Sheets-Shea?l 4 Patented June 27, 1939 UNITEDSTATES.

PATENT GFFICE Application August 24,

13 Claims.

My invention relates to self-propelled electric irons and has for itsprincipal object an iron of that type which is simple and easy tooperate, Whose drive motor isfautomatically shut off when the viron islifted and Whose direction controlling mechanism is regulated bymovements naturally associated with the desired direction of travel.

The invention consists in the self-propelled electric liron and Yin theparts and combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter describedand claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicatelike parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of an iron embodying my invention, portions ofthe handle and the motor shield being broken away `to show other parts;

Fig. 2 is aside elevation, 'with portions of the motor shieldbrokenaway;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of' one side of the motor driven drum, with theadjacent portion of the handle shown in section;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 in Fig. 2;

' Fig. 5 is a sectional View on the line A5 5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is la 4longitudinal sectional View of the middle portion of thehandle, showing-the automatic switch for controlling the motor current;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line f'I-l in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a detailend view of the portion of the `linkage controllingthe reversing mechanism that is associated with the handle;

Fig.9 is a wiring diagram;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation, omitting the motor and drive mechanism ofan iron having a modied form of handle and automatic control switch;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view on the line II-II of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view of the automatic switch and its casing;

Fig. 13 is a top plan .view of a modification having a reversibleelectric motor;

Fig. 14 is a side elevation of said modification, with a portion of thehandle shown in longitudinal section;

Fig. 15 is a longitudinal sectional View through one end portion of thehandle;

Fig. 16 is a sectional View on the line VI-I---Iii in Fig. 14;

Fig. 17 is a sectional View on vthe line I'I--II in Fig. 14; i

Fig. 18 is a `wiring diagram; and

1936, Serial N0. 97,539

Fig. 19 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modied handle constructionfor the form shown in Figs. 1 to 9.

In the form shown in Figs.` l to 9, an electric iron I provided with theusual control lever 2 for regulating the heat thereof has secured to itsrear `end a shield 3, preferably of curved form and arranged with itsopen side downwardly. Disposed in this shield 3 is Va drum 4 or tractionwheel in which is mounted an electric motor 5 that has suitable drivinggear connections with said drum, the drum and motor being pivotallyconnectedto the iron by a frame and the handle being provided withlinkage for reversing the driving connections between the motor and thedrum, all more fully described hereinafter.

Pivotally secured to one side of the iron, as by a screw is a hanger bar'i that has an outwardly offset portion 8 which extends along the end ofsaid motor `5 and in whose rear end portion is journaledone end of thearmature shaft 9 of the motor which extends through an opening I0 in theend of the traction drum 4. Pivotally secured to the other side of theiron as by a similar screw 6 is ahanger i I which has an angularlydisposed portion I2 extending beyond the reversing and drive mechanismmounted at the end of the drum.

At the rear end of said angularly extending portion I2 is a portion I3that extends upwardly and at the top thereof a strip I4 that extendshorizontally. Two arms I5 extend from said strip III toward 'the motor 5and are provided Vwith journal portions I6 through which extends arotary shaft Il.

Stop screws IB are mounted in lugs I9 near the bottom of the iron voneither side to limit the downward movement of the respective hanger barsI and II. Mounted in the driven end of the traction drum 4 is a sleeve2b on which said drum rotates. Said sleevev20 has an inner end wall 2Iin which the other Vend portion 22 of the arma- 'ture shaft 9 isjournaled. Supporting rods 23 extending through said wall are secured tothe mo tor 5 and to the arms I5.

Fixed on said shaft I'I between said arms I5 is a bevel gear 24 thatmeshes with a bevel pinion 25 on the end 22 of the motor armature shaft.Thel ends of the shaft -Il projecting outwardly beyond the arms I5 havesplines 25 to receive slidable clutch members '-21 that are adaptedto-mesh with cooperating clutch portions 28 of bevel gears 29 that meshwith a ring gear 3E) on the end of the traction drum.

Extending upwardly from said .armature are supporting strips 3| that areprovided with openings 32 parallel to said splined shaft |1. Throughsaid openings extends a slidable rod 33 to whose ends are fixeddepending arms 34 that have forks 35 at their lower ends fitting ingrooves 36 in the respective clutch portions. Thus, by sliding said rod33, one or the other gear 29 may be given a driving connection with themotor, causing the traction drum 4 to travel forward or backward.

Fixed on the slidable rod 33 is an upwardly projecting arm 31 to whichis pivotally secured one end of a link 38 whose other end 39 ispivotally secured to an ear 49 on a link 4|. Said link 4| is pivotallysecured at its lower end 42 to the iron and at its upper end 43 ispivotally secured to a supporting handle bar 44 which extends through ahollow grip piece 45. The forward end of said handle bar 44 is pivotallysecured to a link 46 whose lower end 41 is pivotally secured to the topof the iron. By this arrangement, a forward movement of the grip 45, aswould be natural in propelling the iron forward by hand, moves thelinkage in a direction to cause the traction drum to be rotated in aforward direction, this gearing arrangement being indicated in Fig. 2.Rearward movement of the grip would cause the rod 33 to be movedrearwardly (to the right in Fig. 2) so as to disengage the left handgear 29 and engage the right hand gear 29, thus driving the drumrearwardly.

In order to prevent racing of the motor and traction drum 4 when theiron is lifted, an automatic motor cut-off switch is preferablyprovided. One form of automatic switch is illustrated in Figs. 2, 6 and'7. Running through the grip member 45 is one wire 48 of the motorcircuit, which wire is divided and has its adjacent end portions securedto contact plates 49 in the grip member, as by screws 5U. A contactbutton 5| is normally in contact with the lower sides of these contactplates 49 and has projecting upwardly therefroln a stem 52 with anenlarged head 53 at its upper end. An insulating washer 54 is mounted onthe upper sides of the contact plates 49 and an insulating disk 55 isdisposed between the head 53 at the top of the stem 52 and the handlebar 44. A spring 56 interposed between said head 53 and said insulatingwasher 54 normally forces the stem 52 upwardly so as to bring thecontact button 5| in engagement with the contact plates 49. When theiron is lifted, the handle bar 44 drops downwardly in the longitudinalbore 51 of the grip member 45, which is larger than said handle bar 44,so that the stem 52 and contact button 5l are forced downwardly againstthe pressure of the spring 56, interrupting the circuit to the motor.

Fig. 9 is a complete wiring diagram for the modification shown in thepreceding views. As indicated, the two contact points 58 of the socketmember of the iron cooperate with the two contact portions 59 of asuitable plug. From one contact point 58, the current goes through theusual heating element 60, back to the other wire and contact point. Fromthe rst contact point, a wire 6| leads to the handle, where a switch 62is provided for manually controlling the motor circuit, then through theautomatic shut-off switch to the motor 5 and from the motor back to theother contact member.

In Figs. to 12 is shown a modified form of automatic motor cut-offswitch. In this construction, the grip member 45A is rigidly secured, asby screws 10 to a frame 1| which has a flat portion 12 disposed alongthe top of the iron and secured thereto by screws 13 extending throughelongated slots 14 in said portion, so that the entire handle isslidable. The heads of said screws 13 are spaced from the tops of saidslidable portion 12 so as to permit the iron to drop away from thehandle when the grip 45A is lifted.

Secured to the iron as by screws are brackets 16 of insulating materialin which are mounted contact screws 11 that receive portions of a wire18 that extends along the frame 1|. Mounted on the housing, as by screws19, is a cover 80 of insulating material having openings 8| throughwhich portions of said wire extend. Mounted in the housing 16 above thecontact screws 11 is a contact plate 82 which has a downwardly dependingstem 83 of insulating material secured thereto and extending intoengagement with the slidable portion 12 of the handle. Interposedbetween the contact plate 82 and the cover 89 is a spring 84 whichforces the contact plate 82 downwardly into engagement with the contactscrews 11. Obviously, when the handle is lifted, the iron drops and thehandle moves upwardly relative thereto, so that the pressure of thehandle against said stem 83 forces the contact plate 82 away from thecontact screws 11, against the pressure of the spring B4. Preferably,the motor and reversing mechanism of Figs. l0 to 12 will be the same asthat of Figs. 1 to 9, the handle being provided with a link 39A foroperating the reversing mechanism.

In the construction shown in Figs. 13 to 18, the motor itself isreversible. In this arrangement, the hanger frame for the motor andtraction drum is provided with a single pinion 88 that meshes with thering gear 39 of the drum, the clutches and other reversing drive partsbeing dispensed with. A reversing switch mechanism is incorporated inthe grip member 45B of the handle which is slidable on a handle bar 44B.The handle bar 44B is provided with a supporting strip 81 at each endwhose lower end is secured to the top of the iron as by a screw 88.Extending through the grip member 45B is the leadin wire 89 for thereversing motor circuit, said wire being provided with a manual cut-offswitch 62B. The portion 90 of the lead-in wire beyond said switchterminates in a contact button 9| that projects into the bore 51B of thegrip member 45B. Directly opposite said contact button 9| is a contactbutton 92 from which extends the return wire 93 of said circuit.Extending into said bore on one side of said contact button 9| is acontact button 94 that is connected to a wire 95 that leads to the motor5, the return wire 96 from the motor terminating in a contact button 91opposite said button 94. On the other side of said lead-in contactbutton 9|, a contact button 98 projecting into the bore is connected toa lead-in wire 99 for the other side of the electric motor, the returnwire |00 therefrom terminating in a contact button IDI projecting intothe bore opposite said button 98.

The handle bar 44B is provided with an insulating cover |02 and mountedon said cover are two contact strips |83 that are insulated from eachother. The length of the strips |03 is such and the movement of thehandle 45B is such that the respective strips |03 are always in contactwith the main lead-in button 9| and return button 92, but with only theforward set or rear set of contact buttons of the motor circuits. Thus,when the handle is in its forward position, the main lead-n button 9|,the main return button 92, the contact button 94 of the rst motorcircuit and the return button `lll Aof said nrst motor circuit willbe/in contact with the contact strips .|U3, thus operatingwthe motor vinthe forward `member being connected with a reversing mechanism of thetype shown Vin Figs.A l to 9.

The above described construction minimizes the Work of ironing,providing a means for propelling the `iron forward and backward.Pressure on the handle in the desired direction of travel causes theiron to travel in' that direction, thus avoiding the risk of operating aswitch to cause the iron to travel in the Wrong direction. An automaticcutoff is provided to prevent racing of the motor when the iron islifted. The swivel connection of the motor supporting frame with theiron allows the iron to accommodate itself to different thicknesses ofmaterial. Obviously, numerous changes may be made Without departing fromthe invention and I do not Wish to be limited to the preciseconstruction shown.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, an electric iron having a handle mounted for endwisemovement in either direction, hanger bars pivotally secured to saidiron, a traction drum rotatably mounted between the ends of said hangerbars, an electric motor in said traction drum, means for supporting saidmotor, drive gearing connecting said motor and said traction drum andmeans responsive to the direction of endwise movement of said handle forcontrolling the direction of rotation of said drum, said means includingmembers actuated by either of the endwise movements of said handle.

2. In combination, an electric iron having a handle mounted for endwisemovement in either direction, hanger bars pivotally secured to saidiron, a traction drum rotatably mounted between the ends of said hangerbars, an electric motor in said traction drum, means for supporting saidmotor, drive gearing including reverse drive mechanism connecting saidmotor and said traction drum, linkage responsive to the direction ofmovement of said handle for controlling said drive gearing including alink connected to said handle and actuated by either of the endwisemovement thereof lfor controlling the direction of drive.

3. In combination, an electricv iron having a handle mounted for endwisemovement in either direction, hanger bars pivotally secured to saidiron, a traction drum rotatably mounted between the ends af said hangerbars, an electric motor in said traction drum, means for supporting saidmotor, drive gearing connecting said motor and said traction drum, meansactuated by either of the endwise movements of said handle forcontrolling the direction of rotation of said drum, and means actuatedby lifting said iron for shutting off said motor.

4. In combination, an electric iron having a handle mounted for endwisemovement in either direction, hanger bars pivotally secured to saidiron, a traction drum rotatably mounted between the ends of said hangerbars, an electric motor in said traction drum, means for supporting saidmotor, drive gearing connecting said motor' and said traction drum,means actuated by either of the endwise movements of ,said handle forconrtrolling the direction of rotation of said drum,

said iron and said handle being permitted relative vertical Amovementwhen the iron is vertically raised from a Worksupport into inoperativeposition and a 4switch -member normally closed by -spring pressure andopened by said relative movement vto shut off the motor.

A5. In combination, an -electric iron having a `handle "slidable inleither direction, a traction if;

Ydrum rotatably mounted at Pthe rear end of said iron, an electric motorin said traction drum, means for supporting said motor, drive gearingconnecting said motor and said traction drum,

and -means actuated by either of the movements of said handle -forcontrolling the direction of `rotation of said v`drum.

416. In combination, an electric iron having a Vgrip lmember `connected-by links at each end to said iron, whereby said grip may be moved backand forth, a traction drum rotatably mounted at the rear end of saidiron, an electric motor supported in said traction drum, drive gearingconnecting said motor and said traction drum, including clutches forcontrolling the direction of rotation of said drum and linkagecontrolled by either of the movements of said grip for actuating saidclutches.

7. In combination, an electric iron having a handle mounted for endwisemovement, a traction drum rotatably mounted at the end of said iron, anelectric motor in said traction drum, means for supporting said motor, aring gear secured to one end of said traction drum, a pinion on the endof the armature shaft of said motor, a gear meshing with said pinion, ashaft to which said gear is fixed, the ends of said shaft being splined,clutch members slidably mounted on said splined portions, gears on theends of said shaft in mesh with said ring gear, said gears having clutchportions cooperating with said clutch members, a slidable rod havingdepending arms for operating said clutch members respectively, and alink pivotally connected to said handle and to said rod for moving saidrod.

8. An electric iron having a fixed handle, a hollow grip mounted on aportion of said handle for endwise movement in either direction, areversible motor, means driven by said motor for propelling said ironand switches actuated by either of the movements of said grip on saidfixed handle for controlling the direction of rotation of said motor.

9. An electric iron having a fixed handle including a horizontal handlebar, a hollow grip mounted on said handle bar for endwise movement ineither direction, a reversible electric motor, means driven by saidmotor for propelling said iron, an electric circuit including contactbuttons mounted in saidgrip on opposite sides of the hollow bore thereofand projecting into said bore, pairs of contact buttons mounted in saidgrip on either side of said first named contact buttons, each pair of.said second named contact buttons forming part of a circuit through saidmotor, said circuits operating said motor in opposite directions andcontact strips mounted on said handle bar, each connecting one of saidrst named contact buttons selectively with one of said second namedcontact buttons.

10. An electric iron having a iixed handle including a horizontal handlebar, a hollow grip mounted on said handle bar for endwise movement ineither direction, a reversible electric motor, means driven by saidmotor for propelling CTI `one of said rst named contact buttonsselectively with one of said second named contact buttons when said gripis moved in one direction.

11. In combination, an electric iron having a handle mounted for endwisemovement in either direction, a traction drum rotatably mounted at therear end thereof, an electric motor in said traction drum, means forsupporting said motor,

and means for controlling the direction of rotation of said tractiondrum, said means including members actuated by either of said endwisemovements of said handle.

12. In combination with an electric iron having an electric motor andmeans driven by said motor for propelling it, a circuit for said motorand means responsive to vertical lifting of the iron from a work supportfor opening said circuit to stop the motor.

13. In combination with an electric iron having an electric motor andmeans driven by said motor for propelling it, a circuit for said motor,a handle for said iron and a switch for said motor circuit positionedfor opening in response to vertical lifting of said iron by said handlefrom a work support.

HARRIS ROSSEN.

